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Interview: Secluded

Secluded is the eponymous artist and label project from Stephen Gorrie, who is also known to many as Hans Bouffymhre, owner of the influential Sleaze Records in Glasgow, Scotland. Enjoy the read and check his music here.

Hello Stephen, how are you?

Yes all good thanks! I’m really enjoying life at the moment and 2017 has been a special year for me so far, so can’t complain.

Let’s start with the Beyond Thunder EP as your Secluded alias, it’s your first release in 2017 and most recent one. There are two peak time bangers, but how would you describe the sound on this EP?

The Beyond Thunder EP was made up of two stand out tracks from my Secluded live set. Both original tracks had been sounding huge at my gigs, so I decided they could work well together on an EP. I also wanted to get a couple of remixes for this project and was delighted with the work by both Roberto & Bleak.

You remixed a track from A.Paul’s debut EP on Unknown Territory. Tell us something more about it…

Yeah, Unknown Territory is my brother Lex Gorrie’s label. He releases some very cool stuff and I thought the A.Paul track would be well suited to a Secluded remix. My remix has a good amount of groove and takes the track in a different direction to the original.

What does your creative process look like? What’s important to you when it comes to production and what do you consider a good track must have?

I like my tracks to be quite hypnotic, loopy and have a certain vibe that people can get lost in. At the same time, I try to make tracks that will stand out or have a catchy element that will stick in your head. I also like tracks which are functional and work well to play out.

You also remixed an upcoming and first release on the Elementra label, how did this collaboration come about?

Frazier is an up and coming artist from Glasgow, so it was nice to feature on the first release for his new label. Also cool that Mark Broom is on the same release. Both of us have made 2 remixes each for the release, so it’s definitely a big package!

Are you satisfied with the work from your other label called Sleaze Records, and what can we expect next?

Yeah, I love having my own label! It makes me happy to be able to support other artists that I’m a fan of and at the same time having the freedom to be able to release my own music. Things have been going well and we have some interesting releases coming up from a variation of artists. We also have the 10 year anniversary coming up next summer, so I’m definitely going to plan some special releases, label showcases and podcast mixes to celebrate that.

Your next release will be out on June 12th, what can we expect from the Frontier EP? Can you reveal something more about the release?

Frontier EP contains 3 new Secluded original tracks. Each of them have a different feel, but all have that signature Secluded style. I’m pleased to see that the EP has already been quite well received on the promo, with a lot of nice feedback coming in, so that’s always good! The next release on my Secluded label after this one will be August and will feature remixes by Rolando & Xpansul, so keep an eye out for that!

How do you envision Techno?

I think techno is in a good place at the moment, so long may it continue! It’s actually quite a broad genre when you think about all the different styles of techno that are out there. The kind of techno I normally lean to is stripped down, dark and driving.

Are there any tracks that you especially love to play in your set at the moment?

Some stand out tracks which have worked great for me recently are…

Cleric – Unwanted Arrival

Ben Gibson – Under Saturn

Dimi Angelis – Whiplash

ROD – Hor

What are your plans for the future?

I hope to keep doing what I’m doing and try to focus mainly on making and releasing good music. I feel very fortunate to have been able to make a career doing something that I genuinely love. As long as I still love making and playing techno, I will keep going with it. It’s like an addiction for me.